Press Release

AICPA Competition to Show Students the "A" in CPA Also Stands for Awesome

Published October 27, 2010

DUHRAM, N.C. (Oct. 27, 2010) – The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants has launched the Clearly Pretty Awesome Competition for high school students to introduce them to the CPA profession.

“The CPA designation offers many rewarding career paths,” said Jeannie Patton, AICPA vice president – students, academics and membership. “College students are graduating with degrees in accounting at historically high numbers. Decisions regarding career paths are being shaped very early, many at the high school level. It’s important that students have substantial information about accounting careers before they select their majors at colleges and universities.”

The Clearly Pretty Awesome Competition calls for students to devise a job (other than certified public accountant) using the acronym CPA like “curb paint applicator” or “city park accordionist.” To enter the competition, students are encouraged to visit www.StartHereGoPlaces.com and register using the site’s FutureMe tool and then submit their entries, along with an explanation as to why being a real CPA is a better option that the job they created.

A panel of judges will select the finalists on Nov. 18 and 19. The top submissions will appear on Start Here, Go Places for public voting beginning on Nov. 29. The AICPA will announce the winning entry on or about Dec. 15 and plans to incorporate it in a national advertising campaign.

There will be 1st through 5th place awards:

1st place: A laptop for the student, $3,000 grant awarded to the student’s school in his or her name, use of the entry in the ad campaign and a poster for school display;

2nd place: A laptop for the student, $1,500 grant to the school in the student’s name and a poster;

3rd, 4th and 5th places: An iPod touch for the students.

The competition is open to full-time 15 – 19 year-old students who are enrolled in a high school in the 50 states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa or the U.S. Virgin Islands.